A Disservice to Self Sacrifice
The organizers of the Halifax Air Show have decided to not feature the same airplane, an A-10 Thunderbolt II or 'Warthog', that shot upon Canadian soldiers, killing one in Afghanistan. Citing "...sensitivity to the emotions that this type of incident invokes...", they decided to replace the Warthog with the Eagle.
Airshows are little more than military propaganda. Sure, they have some non-military aspects, but the big ticket items, what really brings people in are the F-16C Fighting Falcons and the Stealth Bombers. At the Halifax show, there are 12 Canadian military aircraft, 17 American and 7 civilian, or around 20%. That the majority are military (and American at that) leads me to believe that the purpose is to glorify war.
The decision to not use the Warthog smells like a continuation of war propaganda. What the organizers are implying is that the attendees shouldn't have to face the negativity of war, only the shiny, gleaming illusion of it. That there's no place for reality at an event where the public could actually take stock of what it's tax dollars are paying for.
It's dishonest and unethical, and I believe does a great disservice to the life of Pte. Mark Graham and the other soldiers wounded in the attack. The aircraft that killed them, aptly named Warthog, should be on display prominently as a reminder that death. period. is the consequence of war.
Airshows are little more than military propaganda. Sure, they have some non-military aspects, but the big ticket items, what really brings people in are the F-16C Fighting Falcons and the Stealth Bombers. At the Halifax show, there are 12 Canadian military aircraft, 17 American and 7 civilian, or around 20%. That the majority are military (and American at that) leads me to believe that the purpose is to glorify war.
The decision to not use the Warthog smells like a continuation of war propaganda. What the organizers are implying is that the attendees shouldn't have to face the negativity of war, only the shiny, gleaming illusion of it. That there's no place for reality at an event where the public could actually take stock of what it's tax dollars are paying for.
It's dishonest and unethical, and I believe does a great disservice to the life of Pte. Mark Graham and the other soldiers wounded in the attack. The aircraft that killed them, aptly named Warthog, should be on display prominently as a reminder that death. period. is the consequence of war.
This entry was posted
on September 06, 2006 at 2:36 PM.
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